/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/4368424/129020359.jpg)
Not too long after we received news about (and analyzed) the Alexei Ponikarovsky signing, the Winnipeg Jets signed another forward, Olli Jokinen. Jokinen has a long, storied career of okay performance, a lot of shooting, and amusing caricatures (the list is long for this last: Dancing Olli, Fighting Olli, Eating Olli). Lured by a 2 year, $9 million contract, he enters the Jets fold late in his career, an adept filler for the top 6 that isn't quite ready to see prospects Mark Scheifele or Ivan Telegin. So, what kind of player is Mr. Jokinen?
Ze Numbers
Season | Tm | GP | 5v5 TOI | 5v4 | 4v5 | 5v5 QoC | 5v5 CRel | Z% | 5v5 G/60 | A/60 | PTS/60 |
07-08 | FLA | 82 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 49.9 | 0.77 | 0.96 | 1.73 |
08-09 | PHX/CGY | 76 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 55.8 | 0.96 | 0.85 | 1.81 |
09-10 | CGY/NYR | 82 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 51.8 | 0.51 | 1.17 | 1.69 |
10-11 | CGY | 79 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 12 | 52.9 | 0.66 | 1.10 | 1.75 |
11-12 | CGY | 82 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 14 | 47.9 | 0.65 | 1.15 | 1.80 |
As with the Ponikarovsky article, the first five metric columns are his rank among forward teammates with 20+ games played.
He's a bit different than Poni in regards to his performance; where Poni was impressively sound at 5v5 in Corsi Rel, Jokinen's a bit of a mixed bag. His offence is undeniable, though, as evidenced by his continued use on the powerplay and 5v5 scoring that would place him in consistently average 2nd-line forward territory. He's not the kind of guy you should lean on defensively, but with favorable zone starts and powerplay time he will produce for you; I'd suggest not thinking of him as a surefire top-line centre anymore. As for the powerplay, this is where he could really earn his chops:
Season | Tm | GP | 5v4 TOI | 5v4 G/60 | Lg Rk | 5v4 PTS/60 | Lg Rk |
07-08 | FLA | 82 | 3.60 | 2.84 | 11 | 4.88 | 32 |
08-09 | PHX/CGY | 76 | 3.82 | 1.66 | 84 | 3.93 | 105 |
09-10 | CGY/NYR | 82 | 2.64 | 0.83 | 150 | 3.33 | 126 |
10-11 | CGY | 79 | 2.95 | 1.29 | 104 | 5.15 | 32 |
11-12 | CGY | 82 | 3.02 | 2.18 | 31 | 5.82 | 13 |
After a couple of years broken between three organizations, Jokinen settled nicely into a top-line powerplay role with Calgary and resumed his powerplay form of the Florida years. Obviously, being paired with a talented sniper like Jarome Iginla could elevate the point totals of a guy like Jokinen, so there's a possibility that the same could happen with Evander Kane. One thing worth pointing out: initially, I was concerned that Jokinen would take away from Kane's shot volume if they were paired together, but the last two years suggest to me that he's settled into more of a playmaking role. As Derek indicated, the faceoffs are a bit of a problem, but it's not something to be devastated about.
As with Poni, then, we should ask the three questions: what's the damage, where does he fit, and was it worth it?
The damage is a little bit high for a guy who can't play all minutes and isn't quite a top-line forward anymore, but when it comes to overpays this one is tolerable because a.) the Jets need to meet the cap floor, and b.) Jokinen seems to have a logical fit in our forward lines...which leads to answering the next question. Here's where I see the best fit:
- Andrew Ladd --- Bryan Little --- Blake Wheeler
- Evander Kane --- Jokinen --- Alexander Burmistrov
- Poni --- Jim Slater --- Nik Antropov
- Antti Miettinen / Carl Klingberg / Ivan Telegin --- Patrice Cormier --- Spencer Machacek / Chris Thorburn
Loading comments...